LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (06/30/02)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

A sincere thank-you to U.S. physicians

Dear Editor:

There is no bigger grief for a mother than to see her child suffer and not be able to help him. In June 1999 I was invited by the Forum's Children of the World Foundation to the United States in order for my son to undergo a unique heart operation. After Anton's check-up, I was told that it was necessary for him to have two operations. Dr. Mark Galantowicz at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital was in charge of the first operation.

In December 2001, Children of the World invited my son and me for the second operation. In that same hospital, Dr. Ralph Mosca did a radical correction of the heart problem. The surgery was difficult and required a lot of time, but the true skill and devotion of various medical staff and other people made a successful result possible.

I extend a huge thank-you to the surgeons, to the staff of the intensive care unit who took the biggest burden in caring for my son, to all the personel at the hospital, to Dr. Eugene Holuka, to the chairman of Children of the World, Bill Fugazy, Sister Irene Fugazy, Dr. Aida Musabegovich, interpreter Bella Evina, the secretary of Children of the Word, Larissa Van Deuser, and Vicki and Jay Fox.

My son and I are very grateful to the fund and wish it success and growth in all the kind work that it does for the children of this world in giving people happiness and making wishes come true.

At our most difficult moment, we received the most attention, kindness, warmth and care from Dr. Holuka, with whom we had the pleasure of communicating from the first days of our arrival in America. On a daily basis he would solve our problems. He was constantly aware of what was going on, and during hard times always found the words to make me feel better and more optimistic, keeping my hopes up.

He became our most valued and close friend; Dr. Holuka became like a godfather to my son. For the rest of our lives, my whole family will thank God for Dr. Holuka, for his generous soul and big heart that will help many other people for many years ahead.

Inna Romanenko
Symferopol, Ukraine

Editor's note: This letter to the editor was sent to The Weekly by Natalia Martynenko, consul of Ukraine in New York.

Religious matters: some observations

Dear Editor:

The leaders of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) and heads of civic organizations affiliated with this Church last month voiced their protests to the planned relocation of the seat of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church from Lviv to Kyiv.

In connection with this, charges were made, such as expansionism and undermining the alleged status of Moscow Patriarchate Orthodoxy as the mother Church of Ukraine. This is a prime example of interference by a foreign Church into the affairs of its neighbor country.

Prior to the above-mentioned announcement, a decree was issued February 14 by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. It referred to the return of religious buildings to Church authorities. This would include even those buildings of unique and historical significance, which were always considered national and cultural treasures, and thus remained under the aegis of governmental agencies. This decree was seconded by President Leonid Kuchma's own ruling of March 21; it stated the need to "eliminate the negative results of the Soviet totalitarian policies toward religion" and the need for "the restoration of the rights of the Churches and their religious organizations."

President Kuchma has openly declared and carried out his support for the Moscow-dominated Ukrainian Orthodox Church. As the situation stands now, some of the sanctified places, such as the Pecherska Lavra in Kyiv (which includes the rebuilt Dormition Cathedral), remain in the UOC-MP's jurisdiction. Some lawless acts on the part of the monks and the Lavra administration were recently reported in the Ukrainian press. Without any governmental sanctions or investigations thereof, the Moscow Patriarchate's position in Ukraine is, obviously, strengthened.

Relating to this series of events, on a personal note I would like to cite the following occurrence. We associate the name of Pochaiv primarily with the ancient monastery, but especially with one beautiful "duma." The flowing epic song tells of an attack on the monastery by the Turks and the Tatars. In response to the prayers of the abbot and the monks, the Holy Mother appeared, standing on the arms of the cross on the dome. She turned back the attackers' arrows and saved the monastery. Several centuries later, we now find a modern, but no less horrific, threat to this monastery.

My cousin, a native of Volyn and son of an Orthodox priest, went to the Pochaiv Monastery during Lent and approached a monk in the administrative office. He wanted to submit two lists of names of his relatives to be included in prayers for their well-being and for the peaceful repose of their souls. He was asked in Russian to which Church jurisdiction he belonged. Upon his reply that it is the Kyiv Patriarchate, his request was denied. He pressed on with questions, whereupon he was shown a printed list of "some types of people, for whom this Church cannot offer any prayers." The list was headed by Catholics and included other "raskolniki" and "deviants." He was deeply disturbed when he recounted this incident to me over the phone just before Easter.

At the time of Ukraine's renewal of independence, numerous churches and parishes never took the step of freeing themselves from the Moscow Patriarchate. They seem to feel at home with the Russian-language services and the Soviet-Russian ways and habits. By now, Ukrainians in the Western world, as well as in Ukraine, should realize the ramifications of such a situation. The UOC-MP loyalists are headed by a Ukrainian hierarch, Metropolitan Volodymyr Sabodan. What is preached and practiced in those churches, according to what I heard from some people in Ukraine, and in Kyiv especially, is a supreme devotion to the Moscow See and overt anti-Ukrainian bias and actions.

It is mind-boggling that in a newly freed country there are strong social currents and religious leaders - who play a role in nurturing the soul of the nation - that actively work to destroy it. Add to this the secular leadership, the president and the pro-Russian policies of his government, and we see the ugly image of the old empire.

The incident involving my cousin at Pochaiv is a very telling one, and by no means unique. How many reports have there been in the last few years of priests being beaten and chased out of their churches, and of parishes' properties being seized? The instigators of such actions were members of the UOC-MP.

To this situation, one must add another element, as painful as it is unbelievable. The hierarchs of our Orthodox Church in this country, which is now under the omophorion of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, speak of their desire to unify the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, to bring it into the fold of the Eastern Church. Yet, somehow their words ring hollow, as a significant part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, i.e., the Kyiv Patriarchate, is deemed uncanonical - thus, not to be recognized. Should these Ukrainian Christians be simply ignored by the rest of us, since they do not regard Metropolitan Sabodan as the head of their Church? Should they and we reconcile ourselves to the fact that he and his clergy profess loyalty to a foreign, Russian patriarchate, whose country subjugated Ukraine for so long, and still wishes and strives for its national demise, not for its rebirth?

A member of the Metropolitan Council of the UOC in the U.S.A., in a June 11, 1997, council memo, had stated this policy: "The only recognized Orthodox ecclesiastical body in Ukraine is the Orthodox Church, Kyivan Metropolia, shepherded by Metropolitan Volodymyr Sabodan, whose loyalty to the metropolia and patriarchate is, I am informed, without question, and who is known for his self-discipline and prayer-life. His All Holiness [the patriarch of Constantinople] and world Orthodoxy will deal with this ecclesiastical reality."

During an extended stay in Ukraine as a volunteer teacher, I was a witness to several hate incidents - even on church grounds. There was one memorable occasion. On St. Sophia Square, on Easter in 1993, a special moleben was celebrated by the hierarchs of all the branches of the Orthodox Church. It was an uplifting experience, to be sure, for all the faithful and probably for those who never before participated in religious services. There was a sense of Christian and national unity during that service, even as it began with the procession of Metropolitans Sabodan, Filaret and Andriy, and clergy coming out of the St. Sophia belfry doors. Two days later, Metropolitan Sabodan appeared on national television and ardently called on the faithful (non-members of his Church) "to repent and rejoin the mother Church of the Moscow Patriarchate."

We all knew then, and know now, that he is a proxy of the Russian Church in Ukraine, which continues its destructive work against the Ukrainian people. There is no room in Christianity for hate, injustice and brutal behavior, and yet, for example, the Pochaiv Monastery - a member-church of Metropolitan Sabodan's jurisdiction - practices this.

We realize the complexities of Church matters in our times; however, the fact that some of us are perplexed and hurt by the strong contradictions in policies and attitudes, both by the ecclesiastical authorities in Ukraine and here in the West, should also be treated as a valid issue. Church leaders cannot ignore the entire setting of present-day Ukraine, a country in political turmoil, where Church issues are inevitably intertwined. Spiritual life in Ukraine is, and has been, a part of its fabric, as this is a nation with an incredibly difficult history, both in the past and in the 20th century. In that context, religious institutions, as well as national ones, were mostly subjected to foreign domination or influences. So it continues to this day.

Patriarch Lubomyr Husar of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church dreams of the grand union of all Ukrainian Churches; no doubt, many Ukrainians share his desire. Without question, the present state of religious matters in Ukraine is highly uncertain; it may become volatile. This requires measured steps and solid evaluation, for which Andrew Sorokowski presents an astute argument (The Weekly, June 2). Both the Orthodox and the Catholic Churches have suffered immeasurably under communism in Ukraine. Current efforts by all concerned should aim to halt their further destruction by Moscow-dominated entities, both secular and religious, for any polarizing policies can only bring harm.

Oksana Bakum
New Paltz, N.Y.

Thanks for a trip down memory lane

Dear Editor:

I loved the article "Snapshots from our Past" written by John P. Swystun that appeared in the May 26 issue. Names of the people listed included some who crossed my path through these many years. I've reached my 81st birthday and articles like this bring basic memories of growing up on the East Side of New York.

The article mentioned that seven clubs like Ukrainian Tridents existed. I wonder if there are members of those clubs who could enlighten us with their stories.

Trips down memory lane are the only ones some of us old "geezers" can make.

Dorothy Gruchoski Wylder
Vacaville, Calif.

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